The Best Tube Amp For JAZZ Guitar

[Sphereacidburn]

What is the best tube amp for jazz guitar?

[bfloyd6969]

Perhaps I can offer some advice...

These are the tube amps I have tried:

Fender Deluxe Reverb

The Fender Deluxe Reverb has a 22watts, Jensen speaker, no mid control, great reverb & tremolo. I say this is perfect for small to mid venues, you'd mic the front speakr anyways. You can also ask for Bob at Eurotubes for a retube kit, highly recommended! I think Wes used one DR 65' before the Verve recordings. If you'd like a little break up in your tone (a la Scofield) that's an amp worth checking out.




Fender Blues Junior

The Fender Blues Jr has a 20watts 1x12 speaker. Little great customizable amp. You can upgrade tubes, caps and/or speaker until you find the right combination for you. Folks say it's stupid buy small amp and spend bucks on upgrades, but I think more like modding your gear to your needs and tastes, jusy like you would with your guitar setup.




Groove Tubes Soul-o 45

These aren't made anymore because Groove Tubes founder and main guy Aspen Pittman sold to Fender. But now and then one crops up on eBay. If you can try one out, do it. It's a great jazz-blues-rock combo amp. No reverb though, but fantastic tube sound.




Traynor YCVWR40

I own one. 40watts, 1x 12 Celestion Vintage 30 speaker. It's a little bright sounding with single coils, humbuckers sound best. I got the extension cab which opens up the sound even more. Traynor amps are underrated IMHO.




Roland Jazz Chorus 120

Ok, the Roland JC-120 is not a tube amp but a class on its own. The best for pure clean headroom at any volume. I played couple times with one, I'd say it's a beautiful sound on it's own, solid state but very organic, shimmering clean but not harsh. If I had the dough I'd buy me one for sure.




I wouldn't want to carry around a heavy combo like a Fender Twin Reverb (I hurt my back carrying one some time ago) so I'd go for somethin' small around 20-50 watts. If you need more juice, then you'd ask FOH guy for more guitar in your monitor mix

You could also get a head, and use cabs provided by venue/band. A Michael Brecker concert I attended some time ago... if I remember correctly, guitar guy plugged into a Line6 module then straight to 4x10 cab.

[TieDyedDevil]

As a former tube-amp guy, I'd have to say that heavier is better if you intend to play clean. It takes a lot of iron to get extended frequency response and low distortion at decent volumes.

My last two tube amps (gone for over two years, and I don't miss them a bit) were both Fender Vibro-Kings. They are incredible-sounding amps, but they weigh in at over 70 pounds.

[mr. beaumont]

that's like saying "what's the best flavor of ice cream." cannot be measured.

that said, if a squeaky clean silverface non-reverb princeton would magically appear at my house, it would make me happy.

[lpdeluxe]

Why "tube?" My solid state Fender Jazzmaster Ultralight sounds better than a lot of tube models, and it weighs 26 lb and puts out 250 watts.

I also have several tube amps, but, for jazz, the JM is really good.

I'd keep away from many tube amps, in fact, as they are designed for high gain characteristics that are too aggressive for most jazz material. I have a Fender Blues Jr and a Fender Band-Master VM head that I plug into a 15" speaker cabinet that get acceptable tones, if you like a lot of "bite" to your sound.

[bkdavidson]

If this thread is meant toward tube amps for jazz, I might have to go with an old (mid '50's) Fender tweed Deluxe, but I'm not totally sure. If not, I'd without a doubt have to say Marshall. For me, it's like the difference between driving an automatic or manual transmission. They both make the car go, and with the automatic if you work with it enough you can figure out how to make it do what you want, and it'll do that a lot of the time but definitely not all the time (non-Marshall amps). The manual just does what it's supposed to when you tell it to and does whatever you want it to (Marshall amps). Of course, that's just my opinion.

[derek]

I bought a Fender Tweed Deluxe clone last year. Made by Lil Dawg amps, it is the 5E3 circuit with a 12" Weber speaker. 22 watts from 6L6 tubes. Great all around amp, and plenty of clean headroom for jazz. Several builders out there who recreate all the classic Fender circuits for you with whatever bells and whistles you like.

Richter
Victoria
Lil Dawg
Clark
Fargen

[jazzerswing]

5F6-A 4x10 tweed Bassman. Jazz, rock, blues, anything. Done.

[Little Jay]

My opinion:

Best tube-amp for jazz: a Twin Reverb, be it Black- or Silverface.
Even in low-volume situations it's great to have all that watts under your fingers.

But of course I end up taking my Cube 30 a lot more with me then my Twin..... does the job also.

[ner1971]

I am currently gigging with a SDG clone of a 50s tweed Fender Pro (5E5-A). It's a bit on the big & heavy side (35 watts or so, 40 pounds..ouch), but it sounds great. Mine has a half-power cut-off switch for smaller combo gigs. Plenty of soulful, hi-fi cleans with none of the compression that my tweed Deluxe was giving me a higher volumes. Of course the 15-inch JBL D130 has a lot to do with the overall sound. Needless to say, I really dig it.

I remain curious about 50s Standels in a jazz context, but the pricetag for reissues as well as originals are just too high. I always have my eyes open for interesting Ampegs - I love those amps in general, but am holding out for something with the Baxandall tone stack. I just recently picked up a late-50s Magnatone Troubadour - similar to a Fender Deluxe, but it is in the shop being diagnosed for hum and hiss syndrome.

But as far as your original question...it really depends on the situation/player/combo/etc.

[TieDyedDevil]

Regarding mentions of a Tweed Deluxe: IME, these (5C3, 5D3, 5E3) are nice amps that have very little clean headroom. I'm not sure they'd be appropriate for jazz unless you're going for that 50's-era sound with a bit of "hair" around the note.

This gets back to my original point: higher clean volumes (a.k.a. "headroom") require larger (heavier) tube amps.

[lpdeluxe]

I am currently gigging with a SDG clone of a 50s tweed Fender Pro (5E5-A). It's a bit on the big & heavy side (35 watts or so, 40 pounds..ouch), but it sounds great. Mine has a half-power cut-off switch for smaller combo gigs. Plenty of soulful, hi-fi cleans with none of the compression that my tweed Deluxe was giving me a higher volumes. Of course the 15-inch JBL D130 has a lot to do with the overall sound. Needless to say, I really dig it.

With a D130 and 35 watts, I'll bet you're getting off easy on the weight. I've got a Band-Master VM with a Hartke 115 cab (to be replaced by a real guitar 15" speaker) and the head alone weighs within 13 lbs of your combo.

[ewanwallace]

I've used Fender Twin Reverbs, DeVilles and Deluxes, but at the minute my favourite is my old Vox AC30 TB6 reissue, an early 90s one I think. I just bought one of those new AC15 Heritage amps to replace it, and back to back the AC30 actually sounds much better! It's very versatile - it can sound sparkly like the Beatles or very warm and jazzy. I'll sell the AC15 on I think.

I like to play with a bit of reverb at home, but in a band situation I never use it anyway. Though that video of Jim Campolongo on youtube demoing the Fender Princeton is a pretty compelling argument for the reverb soaked Fender sound. I hear his aren't stock models though.

[eidlyn]

Actually, I quite like the versatility of the Valvetronix ad50vt. I usually set it to JTM 45 for blues and most other things, and it has enough of its own character to really sound great.

[Jazzarian]

the SF non reverb models stay cleaner louder. it's a great sound, and i barely use reverb anyway.

A while back I was thinking of getting a Deluxe Reverb Reissue, probably more for nostalgia than anything else.


I had forgotten that the reverb "channel" is a bright only channel. The non-reverb channel is the normal channel. Yeah it's an easy fix as I could add a switch to bypass the bright channel's capacitor. Shouldn't have to do that to a brand new reissue. Really dumb limitation of Fenders from the 1960s.

[ES350]

I assume we are talking about a jazz guitar tone here...? Not a Marshall.
It's hard to beat the Fender Pro 1x15" models for a legit tone...sub in a cleaner speaker and it's perfect for small gigs. The 5E5A is great for a 50's tone, the brown and BF models have more headroom. Joe Puma's tweed Bassman always sounded great too. For bigger rooms/louder bands, a Twin Reverb or SS...

[derek]

Regarding mentions of a Tweed Deluxe: IME, these (5C3, 5D3, 5E3) are nice amps that have very little clean headroom. I'm not sure they'd be appropriate for jazz unless you're going for that 50's-era sound with a bit of "hair" around the note.

This gets back to my original point: higher clean volumes (a.k.a. "headroom") require larger (heavier) tube amps.

Guess it depends on who builds it for you. The original and current reissue TD is 6V6 powered for 12 watts. Mine gets 22 watts from 6L6's. I have played it with a drummer in the past, and have had no problem with headroom. If I didn't have it, I would probably swing for a silverface Deluxe Reverb.

Twins, as wonderful as they sound, are just beyond practical for me due to weight.

[ES350]

Given the head/cab setup, most of the bigger Marshalls are just too loud and in your face; a 4x12 is not exactly subtle. The Club and Country and some of the older combos sound pretty good (I used to use a old 50 watt 2x12" combo with 6550's and that was pretty good). But there's a funny hollow midrange with clean Marshalls that's hard to tune out...I think I'll stick to these tweed/BF amps, thanks.

[335td]

I´m a happy owner of a Fender The Twin!!! It is 20 years old and still alive and kicking!!! I think it´s ideal for jazz and blues.
Besides my little Yamaha AR-2500 (20 watts) helps me on playing at reduced places.
A friend of my has a Polytone, and believe me it´s great too.

[gpower]

I think , if you need the power then a Twin is the best choice. If not, then either a Vibrolux or Deluxe Reverb would be great choices. Allen amplifiers make single channel clones of many of the old Fender designs. Including kits, for those wishing to save some cash and are handy with a soldering iron. I've been looking at the Accomplice (Dlx) and Encore (Vibrolux) kits.

Allen Amplification - Quality Tube Guitar Amps, Kit, Parts, and Repairs

[Jazzarian]

I think , if you need the power then a Twin is the best choice. If not, then either a Vibrolux or Deluxe Reverb would be great choices. Allen amplifiers make single channel clones of many of the old Fender designs. Including kits, for those wishing to save some cash and are handy with a soldering iron. I've been looking at the Accomplice (Dlx) and Encore (Vibrolux) kits.

Allen Amplification - Quality Tube Guitar Amps, Kit, Parts, and Repairs

The "Old Flame" what a riot. Seems you can save $500 by building it yourself, still $999 for the kit. What the hell, take your time, do it right, have fun, amaze the wife and kids........ As long as they're good parts, and I know they're as good if not better than what Fender uses today.

OTOH, the new blackface Fender reissues are fine amps. I could have bought a new Deluxe Reissue for $750 last fall from Musician's Friend, during a sale.

[gpower]

Unlike the RI's the Allen's, and others, are point to point wired (no circuit boards). From everything I've read, these are high end kits utilizing quality parts. Assembly instructions are well written and support is second to none. They are favorably compared to hand wired boutique amps.

A good friend of mine has a Marsh Dlx clone, built from a kit. We've tried it side by side with a RI and the Marsh is better. Sounds more like the original BF than the RI does.

Anyway a great option for someone looking at boutique amps. And, you get the satisfaction of having built it yourself.

[lkyguy]

I gotta tell ya, my Fender Princeton Reverb (1972) going thru the sound system puts out the sweetest overall sound for Jazz that I've heard. I would like to try out a Henriksen 12R though....even if it is Solid State.

[BigDaddyLoveHandles]

By the way, if the question is really "what is the best TUBE amp for jazz?", the answer is the King of Clean, the Fender Twin Reverb (choose your favourite era: Blackface, etc...)

[cosmic gumbo]

Fender twin reverb or non-tube Roland JC-120. Heavy jazz artillery. These brutes need wheels to move them.